Leashes After safety and before fishing comes the process of securing. We don't
have a lot of room on a kayak to work with. Shuffling equipment around from one place to
another is just part of the kayak fishing process. Since we're only inches above the
water, it's extremely easy to lose items overboard. There are a few companies
manufacturing leashes for securing various types of equipment. Leashes can be used to
secure paddles, fishing rods, nets, game bags, tools, etc; Also see "Retractors"
for other securing options.
The leashes on the left are manufactured by Cetacea. These are
especially good for securing fishing rods. Connect the leash to an existing eyelet or tankwell
strap. The lanyard end can be attached to the rod butt. The quick release straps
allow you to disengage the leash at any time. This leash is essentially made out of
plastic coil chord wrapped in nylon. Since they were originally designed and tested for
SCUBA, they can take exposure to harsh elements.
Another
good leash system is manufactured by Scotty. This system is fairly versatile as
well. A rubber ring is placed around the paddle or rod butt. The leash has a
plastic clip on each side for connecting to the rubber rings. You can easily detach the
leash if you need to. Some gear and accessories don't require the ring in order to make
the leash work. I use a Scotty leash for securing one of my tackle boxes to the rear
tankwell.
Some kayak anglers fashion leashes themselves using phone
chords, crimps, clips or snaps. Which ever route you go, leashes will save you gear, time,
money and a lot of headache.
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